Welcome: –

Saint Abdon and Saint Sennen from a panel painted by Jaume Huguet

  Today, 30^th July, is the Feast Day of Saint Abdon and Saint Sennen.  They were of Persian origin, apparently captured as slaves by the Romans sometime in the 3^rd century AD.  At some point in time they became Christians.  It is recorded that they were martyred in the Colosseum in Rome on this day in either 250AD, during the reign if the Roman Emperor Decius  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdon_and_Sennen )  , or around 303AD, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian  (The Oxford Dictionary of Saints p1, https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1071 )  , for refusing to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods of Rome, as part of the persecution of the Church that took place in the years before the Emperor Constantine  (Jonathan Hill in Christianity  The First 400 Years p143 to 150)  . 

  Now, unless you are serious scholars of Christian martyrs of the 3^rd Century AD, I can guarantee that you would not have heard of either of these two people.  Yet, there exists enough documentation and tradition to verify the account of their martyrdom, meaning that, though we may not know anything about them, they were real people to Jesus Christ, willing to give up their lives because of their Christian faith.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery

  At the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Canada, is a monument erected by the Toronto unit of The Salvation Army, which reads:

“In Sacred Memory of 167 Officers and Soldiers of the Salvation Army Promoted to Glory from the Empress of Ireland at Daybreak, Friday May 29, 1914”.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Empress_of_Ireland)

  The Liner, RMS Empress of Ireland, operated by the Canadian Pacific Steamships, while journeying up the Saint Lawrence River on Friday 29^th May 1914, at the commencement of a voyage to Liverpool, collided with a Norwegian collier, Storstad, in thick fog, near Rimouski, in Quebec, and sank within 14 minutes.  Those on board included Salvation Army personnel and their families journeying to the International Salvation Army Congress in London.  One account of the sinking which relates to these 167 Officers and Soldiers of the Salvation Army who died that day reads:

“(Not one body that was recovered) had on a life preserver.  Many of the survivors told how those brave people, seeing that there were not enough lifebelts, took off their own and strapped them onto others, saying,

“I know Jesus, so I can die better than you can.”  (Michael Green ed.  1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching number 293 p93) 

  Now, we are not called either to face martyrdom in the Colosseum nor to face the perils of a sinking ship, yet, just like those who gave their life jackets to others, we, too, know Jesus, and, just like Saint Abdon and Saint Sennen, we, too, are known to Jesus.  We are assured of living in this close relationship with God.

  The Apostle Paul writes:

“there is nothing in all Creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8: 38 & 39) 

  It is on that basis that we gather for worship, it is on that basis that we gather as one people in the presence of God, graced by His mercy.  Let us, then, be united in our worship of God and in our fellowship together, and uplift our hands to greet those both here and those in their homes with these words:

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Prayer of Praise  

(The 1965 Methodist Book of Worship p131, The 1944 Methodist Book of Worship p192, Uniting in Worship 1 p204, The book of Common worship p312, L. Weatherhead When the Lamp Flickers p30, Opening Prayers p 86, Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year A p147) 

  Loving God, we affirm your presence with us in such an intimate and personal way.  You establish a relationship with us through Jesus Christ.  Your Spirit is poured out to us in such generous measures.  We praise and thank you, O God, for reaching out to us and touching our lives in this way. We turn towards you in gratitude seeking to love as we have been loved. 

  Almighty God, you have disclosed yourself to humankind through the pages of history.  You show yourself as compassionate and gracious, showing your favour to slaves as well as to sovereigns, promising liberty to all who live in hope of the final triumph of your goodness.  You have prepared for those who love you joys beyond understanding, and blessings beyond measure.

  Gracious God, you plant each of us like seeds in a field.  Together we are nourished and nurtured by your love and grace.  We are blessed by the knowledge that you want us to grow towards whatever you call us to be.  We are honoured to be called your children and to be adopted into your family.  We can only respond by giving you our utmost thanks and offering true worship, now and always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing 2 Songs

“Oh how I love Jesus”  (Scripture in Song volume 1 number 73)

Frederick Whitfield

“Therefore the Redeemed of the Lord shall return”  Scripture in Song volume 1 number 79

Ruth Lake

Prayer of Confession 

(The 1965 Methodist Book of Worship p131, The 1944 Methodist Book of Worship p192, Uniting in Worship 1 p204, The book of Common worship p312, L. Weatherhead When the Lamp Flickers p30, Opening Prayers p 86, Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year A p147) 

Merciful God, we confess to you our sins and our struggles to live as people of the Light. 

You know us inside and out, you know our deepest thoughts and dreams, and have found us wanting.

We confess our impatience with others, with their mannerisms and habits, with their hesitancy or with their outspokenness. 

Please forgive us. 

We confess that we label others as good or bad rather than to accept them for who they are and especially that you have already accepted them for who they are. 

Please forgive us.

We confess our pride that blinds us to our own faults, our pride that seeks to put us before others or deprives others of the opportunities we seek for ourselves. 

Please forgive us.

We confess our slowness to reach out to the uprooted and rejected, to the lonely and the outcast, to respond to the needs that we see in others and in the world. 

Please forgive us.

Remove from us, lord, anything that dulls our alertness to your presence and promptings.  Strengthen our Spirit when we are slow, temper our zeal when we are rash. 

In your good time, produce in us a rich harvest from the seed that you have planted and tended.  This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(Romans 10: 4 & 10) 

We have confessed our sins before God and confessed our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, putting us right with God.  Let us rest affirmed that God has heard our prayers and has forgiven our sins.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 13 & 14 p599) 

Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to be guided by your Word and the Holy Spirit, that in your light we may perceive your mercy and grace, that in your truth we may find freedom, and that in your will we may discover peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Genesis 31:

1  Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying,

“Jacob has taken everything that belongs to our father.  He got all his wealth from what our father owned.”

2  He also saw that Laban was no longer as friendly as he had been earlier.  3  Then the LORD said to him,

“Go back to the land of your fathers and your relatives.  I will be with you.”

4  So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where his flocks were.  5  He said to them,

“I have noticed that your  father is not as friendly toward me as he used to be; but my father’s God has been with me.  6  You both know that I have worked for your father with all my strength.  7  Yet he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times.  But God did not let him harm me.  8  Whenever Laban said,

‘The speckled goats shall be your wages.’,

all the flocks produced speckled young.  When he said,

‘The striped goats shall be your wages.’,

all the flocks produced striped young.  9  God has taken flocks away from your father and given them to me.”

14  Rachel and Leah answered Jacob,

“There is nothing left for us to inherit from our father.  15  He treats us like foreigners.  He sold us, and now he has spent all the money he was paid for us.  16  Al the wealth which God has taken from our father belongs to us and to our children.  Do whatever God has told you.”

17  So Jacob got ready to go back to his father in the land of Canaan.  He put his children and his wives on camels,  18  and drove his flocks ahead of him, with everything that he had gotten in Mesopotamia.

21  He took everything he owned and left in a hurry.  He crossed the Euphrates River and started for the hill country of Gilead.

Psalm 105

1  Give thanks to the LORD, proclaim His greatness: tell the Nations what He has done.  2  Sing praise to the LORD; tell the wonderful things He has done.  3  Be glad that we belong to Him; let all who worship Him rejoice.  4  Go to the Lord for  help; and worship Him continually.  6  You descendants of Abraham, His servant; you descendants of Jacob, the man He chose,  5  remember the miracles that God has performed and the judgements that He gave.

7  The LORD is our God; His commands are for all the World.  8  He will keep His covenant forever, His promises for a thousand generations.

Romans 8:

31  In view of all this, what can we say?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  32  Certainly not God, who did not even keep back His own Son, but offered him for us all!  He gave us His Son – will He not also freely give us all things?  33  Who will accuse God’s chosen people?  God Himself declares them not guilty!  34  Who, then, will condemn them?  Not Christ Jesus, who died, or rather, who was raised to life and is at the right side of God, pleading with Him for us!  35  Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ?  Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?  36  As the Scripture says,

“For your sake we are in danger of death at all times; we are treated like sheep that are going to be slaughtered.”  (Psalm 44: 22) 

37  No, in all things we have complete victory through Him who loved us!  38  For I am certain that nothing can separate us from His love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor

other Heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future,  39  neither the world above nor the world below – there is nothing in all Creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Matthew 13:

47  Jesus said to his Disciples,

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like this.  Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish.  48  When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away.  49  It will belike this at the end of the Age: the angels will go out and gather the evil people from among the good  50  and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and  gnash their teeth.

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn “God is love, let Heaven adore him”  (AHB93  TiS153)

Timothy Rees

Sermon

“Dear God, Are you real?”

(from Children’s Letters to God compiled by E Marshall & S Hample)

  I have a book on one of my book shelves titled “Letters from God”.  I have referred to this book in a previous sermon.  It is a compilation of letters that children have written to God.  The letter to which I want to refer today was written by a Harriet Ann, and reads;

“Dear God,

    Are you real?  Some people don’t not believe it.  If you are you better do something quick.

Harriet Ann”  (from Children’s Letters to God compiled by E Marshall & S Hample) 

  Now, this letter raises some interesting questions.

‘How does God make Himself known to people?’

‘What is the nature of this God who seeks to reveal Himself to people?’

‘What response is God seeking from those to whom He reveals Himself?’

  God revealed Himself to Moses in such a dramatic way, in a burning bush that was not being consumed  (Exodus 3: 2)  .  When God directed Moses to present himself to the Pharoah of Egypt as the one who was to “lead (God’s) people out of Egypt”  (Exodus 3: 10)  , Moses was faced with these same questions.

  After spending 430 years in Egypt from when the family of Jacob,  (or Israel as God had renamed him – Genesis 32: 28)  , moved there during the time of a great famine in the lands of Canaan and Egypt  (Genesis 46 & 47)  (Exodus 12: 40 & Galatians 3: 17)  , of what did their descendants remember of the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  After living with the people of a Nation who worshipped numerous gods, what inclination would the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob exhibit to the worship of only the one God?

  Enid Collins, Laurie’s sister-in-law, lives at PM Village.  She has lent me a book titled “Creed  What Christians Believe and Why”, which is a study on the Apostles’ Creed.  In this book the author, Adam Hamilton, looks at this problem that Moses faced in sharing with the descendants of Jacob the calling he received from the God who revealed Himself to him.  In this book, Adam Hamilton writes,

  “Moses, who lives in a polytheistic world, says to the voice, ‘[The Israelites] are going to ask me, “What’s this God’s name?”.  What am I supposed to say to them?’  In other words,

Moses is asking, ‘Of all the many deities people worship, which one are you?’

  In response,

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I am.  You must tell them: “The one who is called I AM has sent me to you.”’”  (Exodus 3: 14) 

  This phrase ‘I am who I am.’, is, in Hebrew, a wordplay on the proper name Yahweh, usually rendered in English Bibles as LORD.  What kind of name is ‘I AM’?  I believe that God is revealing Himself to Moses, and through Moses to Israel, as being Itself, the source of all that is, from which everything that is has come to be and continues to be.”  (Adam Hamilton in Creed  What Christians Believe and Why p21) 

  Brevard Childs, in his Commentary on the Book of Exodus, writes that, in using this phrase to identify Himself, God is, on the one hand, looking at the present and describing himself as “a self-contained, incomprehensible Being”.  But, just as importantly, God is looking to the future and announcing that His intentions for His relationship with the People of Israel will be revealed in His future acts for their benefit, which will be manifest according to His Plan (for them as a Nation and for Humanity as a whole).  (Brevard Childs in Exodus p76) 

  So, how did the People of Israel respond to this revelation by God to them, of Himself and of His Plan for them to be His People? 

  Today we read the first eight verse of Psalm 105.  It is of interest to note that the first 15 verses of Psalm 105, along with sections from Psalm 96 and Psalm 106, were sung by the Levites as the Ark of the Covenant was being moved from Perez Uzzah to Jerusalem, a short distance of about 1 to 2 kilometres  (2 Samuel 6:  6 – 15, 1 Chronicles 15: 25 – 28)  .  This took place soon after David became King of Judah and the other Tribes of the People of Israel.  This doesn’t mean that David composed Psalm 105, but it does indicate that Psalm 105 was a well-known Psalm in the time of King David.  If we accept that the Exodus occurred around 1445BC  (Visual Survey of the Bible by Kenneth Boa and Mylan Lorenzen p7, Old Testament Chronology chart in NIV Study Bible)  , and that the movement of the Ark of the Covenant took place a short time after David became King in around 1010BC  (Visual Survey of the Bible by Kenneth Boa and Mylan Lorenzen p7, Old Testament Chronology chart in NIV Study Bible)  , this indicates that Psalm 105 was being sung approximately 430 years after Moses lead the People of Israel out of Egypt to the Land of Canaan, which, interestingly, is about the same length of time that the People of Israel spent in Egypt leading up to the time of the Exodus.

  We can look at today’s reading from Psalm 105 by asking four questions.

  The first question is: ‘Who do they worship?’.

  This is answered in verse 7, where we read:

“The LORD is our God;”

  Note that that name, ‘LORD’, referred to here is, in Hebrew, Yahweh, the same name that we read in Exodus 3: 14.  We see, then, that the People of Israel retained their belief in the God who revealed Himself to Moses and to them in their time of slavery in Egypt, and who had continued to reveal Himself to them throughout their History.

  The second question is: ‘How do they worship Yahweh?’

  In verse one we read:

“Give thanks to the LORD,”

  The People of Israel are to acknowledge that it was Yahweh who, over the generations, had provided for them, had protected them, and had promoted their well-being and prosperity.

  Also in verse one we read:

“proclaim His greatness.”, as we read in the Good News Version.

  A word for word translation of the Hebrew of this phrase reads:

“make known His deeds among the peoples!”  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p671, KJV)  , with the original Hebrew word incorporating the understanding of making known “the exploits” of God on behalf of the People of Israel  (Strong’s OT5949)  , and of how God “works wonderfully” for the benefit of the People of Israel  (Strong’s OT5953)  .  Thus, the People of Israel are to acknowledge the manner in which God has demonstrated His power and authority for their benefit and development as a Nation.

  In verse two we read:

“Sing praise to the LORD;”

  The People of Israel are to offer their worship of Yahweh, who, as their God, deserves their worship.  The nature of their worship is clarified in further verses.

  In verse three we read:

“let all who worship Him rejoice,”

  Their worship is to be a time of rejoicing for who God is and for what He has done.

And in verse four we read:

“worship Him continually”.

  Their worship is to be spontaneous and earnest, not scheduled or enforced.

  The third question is: ‘Why should they worship Yahweh?’

  “tell (of) the wonderful things that Yahweh has done.”, or “of His wondrous works”, we read in verse two.  The Hebrew word that is used brings out the understanding that, compared to the actions of people, God’s actions are distinguished by how marvellous and wonderful are His accomplishments for His People  (Strong’s OT6381)  .

  This understanding is emphasised in verse five where we read:

“remember the miracles that God has performed”.

  The People of Israel are to acknowledge that God is not limited by the Laws of Biology, or of Chemistry, or of Physics, or of Astronomy, or of any other branch of Science.  God, as the Creator of all there is, works beyond Human capabilities for the good of His People.

  In verse three we read:

“Be glad that we belong to Him”.

  The People of Israel are God’s chosen People, God’s “treasured possession”  (Exodus 19: 5)  , “consecrated as God’s holy people”, separated from the corrupting influence of the rest of Humanity  (Deuteronomy 7: 6)  .

  In verse four we read:

“Go to the LORD for help;”

  The People of Israel are assured that, having sought God, they can rely upon His strength, and power, and guidance to aid them in their times of need.

  And in verse five we read:

“remember the judgements that God gave.”

  The People of Israel are assured that God acts with wisdom and justice and fairness.  His decisions are not made on the basis of favouritism nor a disregard for what is true and right, as distinct from the sons of Samuel, who “accepted bribes and did not decide cases honestly”  (1 Samuel 8: 3)  .

  The fourth question is: ‘To what is God calling them?’

  George Knight, in his Commentary on this Psalm, writes of the Psalm “expressing God’s missionary purpose for Israel”.  (George Knight in The Daily Study Bible  Psalms volume 11 p151) 

  In verse one we read:

“tell the Nations what God has done”

  We need to consider these words in the context of the religious beliefs of the peoples of the ancient Middle East.  It was the accepted belief that each Nation had their own gods, whom that Nation’s peoples would worship as their own particular gods, and who would

act only on behalf of that Nation and its peoples.

  At the time when the Assyrian army, under the command of the Emperor Sennacherib, invaded Judah, during the reign of King Hezekiah, Assyrian officials marched up to the walls of the besieged city of Jerusalem and challenged King Hezekiah and all of the inhabitants of the city, saying,

“Don’t let Hezekiah fool you into thinking that the LORD will rescue you.  Did the gods of any other Nations save their countries from the Emperor of Assyria?  Where are they now, the gods of Hamath and Arpad?  Where are the gods of Sepharviam, Hena, and Ivvah?  Did anyone save Samaria?  When did any of the gods of all these countries ever save their countries from our Emperor?  Then what makes you think the LORD can save Jerusalem?”  (2 Kings 18: 32b to 35) 

  These Assyrian officials were expressing the accepted understanding that if a Nation’s army was triumphant in battle, it was because that Nation’s gods were stronger that the gods of the Nations whose army was defeated.  As such they could not and would not accept that the LORD, that is, Yahweh, the God of the People of Judah, was any different to the gods of the Nations they had defeated in battle, and was in any way more powerful or exerted more authority than the gods worshipped by the peoples of the Assyrian Empire.

  John Thompson, in his book, “Handbook of Life in Bible Times”, writes,

“Ancient (peoples) (were) confronted with all the deep questions about life and death.  (They also faced) the immediate need to find adequate food and shelter in a world where regular patterns of the seasons (were disrupted) by inexplicable disasters.  (This) led people to think of gods who controlled each area of Human experience and the natural order.  (These gods) sometimes fought each other for supremacy or vented their tempers on the poor helpless Earthlings who cowered into desperate submission.  The fact that there might have been a single, supreme God, “in whom we live and move and have our being”  (Acts 17: 28)  does not seem to have entered the minds of people in the Near East until the Israelites brought their new and most unusual monotheism into the Promised Land, their belief and trust in the God who had revealed Himself to them.”  (John Thompson in Handbook of Life in Bible Times p315 & 316) 

  The duty of the People of Israel was to share with the peoples of the neighbouring Nations the very things about Yahweh which underlay their own worship of Yahweh:

the wonderful things that Yahweh has done (verse two),

the miracles that God has performed (verse five),

that they can rely upon His strength, and power, and guidance to aid them in their times of need (verse four), and

that God acts with wisdom and justice and fairness (verse five).

  But, in my mind, the essential aspect about Yahweh, which they were to “proclaim to the Nations” was that they “belong to Him”  (verse three), that they were God’s chosen People, God’s “treasured possession”  (Exodus 19: 5)  , “consecrated as God’s holy people”,  (Deuteronomy 7: 6)  .

  God had entered into a Covenant relationship with them  (Exodus 20: 1 to 3, 24: 7 & 8)  .  As with any agreement, each party to the agreement makes a promise.

  In Exodus 24, we read of the sealing of the Covenant between God and the People of Israel.  At that time, we read that, as their part of the Covenant agreement, all the people said,

“We will obey the LORD and do everything that He has commanded.”  (Exodus 24: 7b) 

  This incorporated all of God’s commands and ordinances which He had given to Moses, which Moses had written down, and which he had read out to the people assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai.  (Exodus 24: 3 to 7) 

  In verse seven of Psalm 105, the writer of the Psalm talks of these commands and ordinances from God, when they state,

“(God’s) commands are for all the World.”

  They write that, because these commands and ordinance reflect the very nature of God, that is, His wisdom and justice and fairness, to which verse five refers as we have already discussed, they are, therefore, commands and ordinances to which all people, of all Nations, should heed and by which they should seek to be guided, because, in doing so, their actions and speech would reflect those characteristics of Human behaviour and interaction which are pleasing to God and which reflect His nature.

  As part of their worship of Yahweh, their God, the People of Israel have this task of sharing with the peoples of the Nations of the World the social and personal benefits from complying with God’s commands and ordinances, as the only means for just, and fair, and loving relationships.

  God’s promises, as part of His covenant relationship with the People of Israel, are referred to in verse eight of Psalm 105:

“(God) will keep His covenant forever, His promises for a thousand generations.”

  Psalm 105 continues by referring to God enabling the People of Israel to establish themselves as a Nation in the Land of Canaan, for this was the fulfilled promise that He had given to Abraham  (Genesis 12: 7, 17: 8)  , to Isaac  (Genesis 26: 3)  , and to Jacob  (Genesis 28: 13)  .

  But there an added clause to this promise, which we read in the account of God’s call to Abraham, “through you I will bless all the Nations”  (Genesis 12: 3)  .

  In the short-term, the People of Israel were to proclaim the greatness of God in fulfilling His promise to establish themselves as a Nation in the Land of Canaan, and to offer the blessings of being in this Covenantal relationship with God.  And this was so true, in the short-term.  But the error of the People of Israel was to limit living in this Covenantal relationship with God to only within the borders of the Nation of Israel, and, later, to the borders of the Kingdom of Judah; and to limit those who were included in this Covenantal relationship to, almost exclusively, those who belonged to the Jewish race.  For, in doing so, they followed the error of other Nations in conceiving Yahweh to only being their God, forgetting that the very name, Yahweh, implied no such limitations upon God, that He was not bound by limitations of Time, or of Space, or of Geography, or of History.  As Creator of all there is, God had a global vision of who He was calling to be in a Covenantal relationship with Himself.

  How could the writer of Psalm 105 encourage the People of Israel to proclaim the greatness of God to the Nations  (verse 1)  , and to proclaim that God’s commands are to be applied to the peoples of all the Nations  (verse 7)  , unless they had some awareness of the limitless coverage of God’s Covenantal relationship with all of Humanity  (verse 8)  ?

  The Apostle Peter wrote his first letter,

“To God’s chosen people who live as refugees scattered throughout the Provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”  (1 Peter 1: 1)  , that is, people not of the Jewish race, who lived in the northern, central, and western parts of current day Türkiye. 

  He writes to them, saying of them,

“You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by His Spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.  the ‘chosen race’, the King’s priests, the holy nation, God’s own people.”  (1 Peter 1: 2 & 2: 9)  .

  In using the Old Testament language of “God’s chosen people”, of being “holy” and dedicated to God, according to “God’s Purpose”, the Apostle Peter encourages his readers, and us, that the blessings of God’s Covenantal relationship was not just with the original listeners to Psalm 105 as it was being sung along the road into Jerusalem, but to all who “obey Jesus Christ” and to all of the future who will “obey Jesus Christ”.

  The Apostle Paul, in his Letter to the Church in Galatia, writes,

“The real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith.  The Scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles (non-Jews) right with Himself through faith.  Abraham believed and was blessed, so all who believe are blessed as he was.”  (Galatians 3: 6 to 9) 

  Alan Cole in his Commentary on Paul’s Letter, writes that, whereas the Jews sought to stress that physical descent from Abraham was the decisive factor in obtaining God’s favour, as far as Paul was concerned, what God sought was “spirit descent”, those who have faith in God and His promise to bless in the same manner as did Abraham.  (Alan Cole in Galatians  An Introduction and Commentary p93) 

  And we must note that Paul writes in the active sense of belief, that is, those who believe and continue to believe in God’s grace and mercy, rather than in the passive sense of having once trusted in God’s promises.  (Alan Cole in Galatians  An Introduction and Commentary p94)  Our faith in God is an ongoing journey.

  God has revealed Himself to us as He did to the People of Israel.  It may not be in the manner of a burning bush or a dry pathway through the Red Sea, but in whatever manner God seeks to reveal himself to each one of us, it is in a manner that is very real and meaningful.  In His revealing Himself, God shows Himself as one who loves us to the extent of offering His Son as the means to purchase us back from our bondage to sin and to set us free to live a life of service and worship.

  How have we responded to God?

  We, too, are to sing Psalm 105 as we journey with God.  We, too, are to take heed of its words.

  Do we sing to Yahweh, the God who reveals Himself in the Scriptures, or do we seek after the mirage of a non-existent deity?

  Do we worship God spontaneously, continuously, rejoicing in His closeness?

  Are we thankful for the wondrous and marvellous things that He has done in our lives?

  Do we seek to proclaim the greatness and the goodness of God to the World around us?

  Do we treasure what God has done for us, and do we respond as God’s holy people, consecrated to Him to live and speak only “those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable”?  (Philippians 4: 8) 

  Let us get a clear picture of the God whom we worship, Yahweh, God who has been in control of all of the past, who is in control of all of the present, and who will continue to be in control of all of the future.  He demonstrated His care and concern for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their families.  He demonstrated His power and authority over the Pharoah and the gods of Egypt  (Exodus 7 to 14)  .  He demonstrated His power and authority over the Emperor and the army of Assyria  (2 Kings 18)  .  He demonstrated His power and authority over Satan and the powers of evil, in raising Jesus Christ from the dead and establishing him to rule at His right-hand side  (Hebrews 1: 1 to 3, 9 & 10)  .  Truly, then, of whom or of what are we to be afraid?  For, as the Apostle Paul writes,

“there is nothing in all Creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord”  (Romans 8: 39b)  .

  Let us move into each day, assured of God’s love for us, assured of God’s presence with us, assured of God’s control over whatever happens to us and in the World around us, until the end of Time itself.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn “Living for Jesus, a life that is true”

Thomas Chisholm

Offering

Offering Prayer    

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the offering hymn “For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

We pray for all who are bound by hatred and resentment:

that the Holy Spirit will cultivate forgiveness and compassion within hearts and wither the seeds of Satan that yield revenge, violence, and destruction.

We pray for all who have suffered abuse or who are in abusive relationships:

that the Holy Spirit will translate their cries and tears into prayers and lead them to safety and wholeness.

We pray for Wisdom:

that we may be able to resist the allure of advertisements that offer easy and quick solutions to life’s problems, and invite the Holy Spirit to lead us into a deeper experience of God’s providence.

We pray for members of all levels of our Governments and Local Councils:

that you will break through the mistrust and self-serving that has developed and guide them in developing effective laws to address injustice and the needs of our society.

We pray for those involved with and guiding the criminal justice system:

that your wisdom will fill their hearts so that they may decide fairly for all the afflicted, and have reverence for the value and dignity of each Human life.

We pray for parents:

that you will guide them in nurturing their children, inspire them in helping their children to seek you first and to share their gifts and talents with others.

We pray for children who are at risk, particularly those in homes with drug addiction or violence:

that you will protect them from harm and help their caregivers to protect and nurture them.

We pray for those suffering from the effects of sustained hot weather, and from bush fires, and from storms and flooding:

that you will provide relief from their distress, help those who are suffering to find places of shelter, and provide the resources needed to sustain them.

We pray for Peace in the World:

that you will bring an end to warfare in Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, and between Israel and the Palestinians, protect the innocent from harm, and establish justice for all parties.

We pray for all who are searching for meaning:

that you will guide their search, lead them to a new understanding, help them encounter a community where the Gospel is lived, and grant healing to those whom the church or its leaders have wounded.

Copyright © 2023. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/17OrdA073023/ideas_other.html   https://liturgy.slu.edu/16OrdA072323/ideas_other.html

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  To your glory we pray.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing Hymn “Trusting Jesus”  (MHB517  Alexander’s Hymns No.3 number 44)

Benediction    

Go in peace, knowing that God’s grace and mercy will follow you wherever you go, knowing that God’s Spirit will be your light in this world’s darkness.  And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Benediction Song

“I am His, and He is mine.”  Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 193

Wade Robinson